The Tram Shelter shortlisted for prestigious design award after sympathetic restoration of Sunderland landmark

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The Tram Shelter is hoping to cap off a successful first year in Sunderland by bringing home a prestigious design award.

Blacks Corner gave new life to the old Victorian shelterBlacks Corner gave new life to the old Victorian shelter
Blacks Corner gave new life to the old Victorian shelter | Sunderland Echo

December 1 2024 will mark a year since Blacks Corner opened The Tram Shelter in Seaburn, giving new life to the seafront landmark whilst carefully honouring its heritage.

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The much-anticipated opening was the culmination of three years of planning and 10 months of building works, repurposing original features whilst making sure new additions were in keeping with the Victorian history of the Grade II-listed site.

Now, the building has been shortlisted in the Interior Design Restaurant / Dining category at the Northern Design Awards 2024, with the winners set to be announced at a ceremony in Liverpool at the end of November.

Blacks Corner co-owner, Jonny Dryden, said winning would cap off an ‘overwhelming’ first year in Sunderland.

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The building is in line for a prestigious awardThe building is in line for a prestigious award
The building is in line for a prestigious award | Sunderland Echo

Such is the success of the sister site to the original Blacks Corner in East Boldon, that The Tram Shelter serves 6,500 people every quarter (with just six tables) and has had to increase its opening hours from six days a week to seven to meet demand.

“The response in our first year has been overwhelming,” said Jonny. “We really care about the produce we use and put so much passion into this building. That, coupled with our customers’ passion for the building, creates a real excitement in the room.

“It’s such a well-loved building and it’s almost like people come to see the building first and us second. We feel proud to have done it justice, we think of ourselves as custodians of the Tram Shelter.

“We really want to give people an experience here.”

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Speaking about the forthcoming awards, he said: “The Northern Design Awards, noticing that a lot of design awards are London focused, celebrates great design across the north.

“We feel proud to have been shortlisted as we really want to showcase what we’ve done at the seafront. Blacks Corner in East Boldon was shortlisted in 2017, but we didn’t win, so we’re really hoping for a category win to bring back to Sunderland.”

Blacks Corner do the design and building works in houseBlacks Corner do the design and building works in house
Blacks Corner do the design and building works in house | Sunderland Echo

Unlike most restaurateurs, the Blacks Corner team do all the design and building works themselves at their sites.

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Transforming the shelter has not been without its challenges, with the team taking on the initial issue of creating an enclosed business in an open space - and a limited one at that.

Working with Sunderland Antiquarian Society, they extensively researched the tram shelter, as well as how enclosed shelters created by the old Sunderland Corporation would have looked.

Trams ceased at the Seaburn shelter in 1954 and although it was still used by many as seating, the structure was much in need of repair.

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Trams ceased at the shelter in 1954Trams ceased at the shelter in 1954
Trams ceased at the shelter in 1954 | Sunderland Echo

Among the heritage works at the site was taking the internal partitions and repurposing them, as well as sandblasting eight layers of paint from the original ironwork to reveal its detail.

To work around the space limitations, they’ve build beach hut style storage spaces that are in keeping with the seafront aesthetic, with plans recently approved for two more huts for a kiosk and additional storage.

There’s also plans to create a history wall on the new kiosk, highlighting the site’s rich heritage.

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The seafront weather has also taken its toll at times, with 300 plants damaged in one particularly severe storm, as well as damage to the huts.

But preserving the site as a community building has always been at the forefront of the project.

Jonny said: “While we were working on the site, we had the airstream at the front serving coffees and snacks, which was really like a community outreach, so we could meet the community and let them know what we were doing with the site.

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“Working with community groups, we’ve found out so much about the history of the shelter. One of the most-recognised features from the past was the white picket fence, which we recreated. We were also told about the red hot poker plants that were once around the shelter, so we planted them.”

Jonny is also working with local community leader Allison Hicks to install a blue plaque in honour of Sunderland’s first female tram driver and conductor.

Crab crostini is one of their most popular dishesCrab crostini is one of their most popular dishes
Crab crostini is one of their most popular dishes | Sunderland Echo

Brunch has proved the most popular feature at The Tram Shelter, with the crab crostini a particular favourite, with the team using multiple tonnes of North Shields crab in the past year.

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To highlight the bar offering, they’ve launched cocktail offers of £5 before 5pm on weekdays and two cocktails for £15 after 9pm on weekends.

From mid-November, The Tram Shelter will launch its Christmas menu featuring some favourites such as duck and mango crostini.

*Blacks Corner at The Tram Shelter is open Monday and Tuesday from 9am-4pm, Wednesday and Thursday from 9am to 10pm, Friday from 9am to 11pm, Saturday from 9am to 11pm and Sunday from 10am to 8pm.

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